Protective receptacle mat



Jan. 26, 1960 F. 6. WILSON 3RD 2,922,553

PROTECTIVE RECEPTACLE MAT Filed Feb. 13, 1958 INVENTOR.

FRANK G, WILSONDI BY M Qua-aw) ATTORNEY PROTECTIVE RECEPTACLE MAT Frank G. Wilson 3rd, Paoli, Pa.

Application February 13, 1958, Serial No. 715,094

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-572) My invention relates to protective mats, and more particularly it relates to mats useful in receiving food or drinks spilled by infants.

Although many different types of bibs are available for protecting an infants clothing from spilled foodstuffs, a simple, effective receptacle for the floor about a high chair has not been provided heretofore.

An effective mat must not only receive crumbs and food particles but also liquids which might be spilled. Thus structural qualities are required such that spilled liquids may be retained for disposal, and such that allparts of the mat may be reached and cleaned easily.

It is desirable to carry a mat of this type when visiting. In this manner a carpet may be protected while an infant is away from home. This requires structure which is easy to handle and store.

These and other features described hereinafter must be provided in a mat that can be economically produced. It is therefore a primary object of my invention to provide a simple effective liquid retentive protective mat.

Another object of my invention is to provide a single piece carpet covering for receiving food spilled from a high chair.

A further object of my invention is to provide a retaining mat for receiving and disposing of spilled liquids.

In accordance with my invention, therefore, a mat is constructed of a single flat piece of pliant water-proof material. The material is cut into multi-lateral shape, folded together at the corners and fastened to produce a continuous rim about the outer edges of the mat. This produces a well for receiving liquids when assembled.

By fastening the corners at a single point with a snap fastener, or the like, a funnel is fashioned at each corner permitting disposal of liquids contained therein. The fastener may be disengaged after use to restore the flat piece of material. Thus, sanitation of the mat is easily accomplished, and it may be folded or rolled for transportation and storage.

Construction and functional features of my invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an assembled floor mat as provided by my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a corner section assembly of the mat;

Fig. 3 is a detailed section view in elevation of the rim portion of an assembled mat; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a corner portion of the mat illustrating its funnel action in disposing of liquids.

As may be appreciated from the various figures of the drawing, a single rectangle or other multi-laterally shaped flat sheet material 10 may be formed into a liquid holding receptacle in accordance with the teachings of my invention. The sheet material is preferably tough, pliable, yet rigid enough to satisfactorily form the rims 11 and 12. Satisfactory service may be obtained by use of ten mil polyethylene plastic sheets, which are tough enough to sustain the legs 13 of the infants chair 16 without perforation.

United States Patent Patented Jan. 26, 1960 Each corner of the sheet material is fastened at a position near the edge 14 of the sheet at a position spaced far enough from the corner 15 to produce rims 1:1 and 12 of suitable depth to assure catching any foodstuffs spilled from the high chair 16. The distance between the corner and fastening position may be varied to select a height which will produce a stable rim from the type of material used and the dimensions of the sheet. The specified polyethylene sheets may be formed with a rim about an inch deep when the mat is a square having sides approximately three feet in length. For large mats a hexagon shaped sheet may be preferred to reduce the length of the sides, since without support intermediate the corner fasteners a definite limitation is imposed on side length when soft or only semi-rigid materials are used. Thus it is desirable to select a rim depth small as compared with the length of a side, and it is preferred to select equal length sides with pliable sheet materials.

The snap fastener 20, as seen in Fig. 2, is disposed to engage the adjacent lateral edges of the sheet material on both sides of each corner 15.

When a single snap fastener 20 is used, the mat may be disassembled. Thus it is easily folded or rolled in sheet form and reassembled as a receptacle mat whenever desirable. It is important if milk or other foodstuif is spilled into the mat that there are not permanent creases or stitches to retain bacteria. The snap fasteners and seamless sheet material permit ready sanitization of the mat after use by disassembly into an easily cleaned flat surface.

Furthermore, the single fastener 20 fashions a funnel portion as displayed in Fig. 4, permitting ready discharge of liquids 22 which might become spilled into the receptacle formed by the mat.

It is evident from the foregoing description that my invention provides a novel mat receptacle for protecting floors or carpets from foodstuff spilled by an infant. The simplicity and effectiveness of the mat indicates a significant advance in the art. The novel features of the invention are described in particularity in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-supporting and sanitary receptacle for protection of the area about an infants chair and for receiving and retaining residue spilled therefrom, including liquids, said receptacle comprising a single flat pliable sheet which may be folded or rolled up readily for transporting, and including corner fasteners as sole means for forming rim portions about the edges of the sheet for self-support Without the aid of stiffening frame members, said corner fasteners being disposed to join two lateral edges of the flat sheet into rim portions normal to the flat sheet, the sheet material having such weight and stiffness that the corner fasteners engage to provide selfsupporting rims between any two adjacent corners, and said sheet being fashioned from seamless liquid repellent material for cleansing in flat sheet form with the corner fasteners disengaged, whereby retention of foodstuffs or liquids in folds or crevasses is discouraged, thereby restricting bacteria growth and unsanitary conditions.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one corner fastener is positioned to produce at the corner a funnel spout for use in disposing of any liquids spilled into and retained by the receptacle in assembled form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

